Heavy fighting for control of the international airport in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo and a major military air base nearby has killed some 150 rebels and government soldiers over the past two days, activists say, according to Belfast Telegraph.

The director of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, said the casualties are almost evenly divided between opposition fighters and troops loyal to President Bashar Assad.

Rebels launched a major attack on Aleppo's civilian airport and the adjacent Nairab airfield on Wednesday. So far, they have captured most of the "Brigade 80" base, responsible for protecting the area, as well as an army checkpoint. The airport itself and the military airfield, which have their own defences as well, both remain in regime hands.

Today, the Observatory and the Local Co-ordination Committees activist group said rebels and President Bashar Assad's forces were shelling each other in renewed clashes. Control of Aleppo international airport and Nairab would be a huge strategic shift for Syria's north-eastern region, giving the opposition a potential air hub enabling aid and other flights.